Ray Wilson has become the third of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team to die following a long battle against Alzheimer’s Disease.
The left-back - oldest member of Sir Alf Ramsey’s team - was not well enough to attend the 50th anniversary dinner two years ago but had been living with his wife Pat in Yorkshire and had remained a regular supporter at Huddersfield Town.
As well as Huddersfield, Wilson played for Everton, where he also won the 1966 FA Cup, as well as Oldham Athletic and Bradford City. He was capped 63 times for England and played every match during the 1966 World Cup finals.
He worked as an undertaker in retirement and only received an MBE in 2000, some 34 years after helping England to win the World Cup.
Wilson was only 69 when he was diagnosed with dementia, a disease that his 1966 England team-mates Nobby Stiles and Martin Peters are also currently suffering with. Jack Charlton is also experiencing problems with his memory.
Numerous other former players are now suffering with neurological problems and, following a Telegraph campaign, the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association have funded a research project that has begun this year. That is 16 years after another former England international, Jeff Astle, died from a type of dementia that has since been proven to be caused by trauma to the head.
In recent interviews, Wilson’s family have described how he remained happy even during his illness and spent much of his later years drawing and walking.
For their promotion-winning 2016-17 season, Huddersfield released a new second-change kit in Wilson’s honour. It was designed with the tag line ‘Legends Are Rarely Made’ and, 50 years on from England's greatest football triumph, was in the same red as the 1966 World Cup-winning kit. The kit had Wilson's signature in white, beneath the collar on the back, and below the white badge on the front.